Investing.com – European stock markets were down on Thursday, as losses in the financial and technology sectors weighed, while U.S. futures indexes pointed to a lower open on Wall Street.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 slumped 0.75%, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.55%, while Germany's DAX 30 shed 0.3%.
Shares in the financial sector were broadly lower, tracking losses from their U.S. counterparts on Wednesday after U.S. federal banking regulators sanctioned several major lenders over their mortgage practices.
Europe’s largest banking group BNP Paribas slipped 1.4%, Deutsche Bank saw shares drop 1.7%, while Unicredit declined 1.5%.
Spain’s largest lender Banco Santander saw shares slide 1.1% after Unicredit downgraded the stock, citing the bank’s likely need for more capital.
Shares in the technology sector continued their poor streak amid lingering concerns over the impact from Japan's crisis on the sector's supply chain. Europe’s largest semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics saw shares dip 1.1%, while Infineon Technologies fell 1.25%.
Meanwhile, Swiss healthcare giant Roche Group saw shares slump 1.1% after reporting a 9% drop in first quarter sales. The drug maker said results were weighed by the strengthening Swiss franc.
Shares in French dairy group Danone climbed 1.8% after it reported an 8.5% increase in first quarter sales, citing growth in all its regions and strong volumes.
In London, the FTSE 100 shed 0.55% as shares in consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser tumbled 7.2% following the shock announcement chief executive Bart Becht would step down before the year's end.
Shares in miners were broadly lower amid concerns China would tighten monetary policy after media outlets in Hong Kong said China's annual rate of inflation in March was likely to be 5.3%-5.4%, a 32-month high.
The world’s largest mining group BHP Billiton saw shares drop 1.7%, rival Rio Tinto slumped 1.3%, while copper producer Kazakhmys saw shares fall 1.2%.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was downbeat ahead of an earnings report from search-engine giant Google.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a drop of 0.15%, S&P 500 futures indicated a loss of 0.25%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures shed 0.2%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish government data on initial jobless claims and producer price inflation.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 slumped 0.75%, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.55%, while Germany's DAX 30 shed 0.3%.
Shares in the financial sector were broadly lower, tracking losses from their U.S. counterparts on Wednesday after U.S. federal banking regulators sanctioned several major lenders over their mortgage practices.
Europe’s largest banking group BNP Paribas slipped 1.4%, Deutsche Bank saw shares drop 1.7%, while Unicredit declined 1.5%.
Spain’s largest lender Banco Santander saw shares slide 1.1% after Unicredit downgraded the stock, citing the bank’s likely need for more capital.
Shares in the technology sector continued their poor streak amid lingering concerns over the impact from Japan's crisis on the sector's supply chain. Europe’s largest semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics saw shares dip 1.1%, while Infineon Technologies fell 1.25%.
Meanwhile, Swiss healthcare giant Roche Group saw shares slump 1.1% after reporting a 9% drop in first quarter sales. The drug maker said results were weighed by the strengthening Swiss franc.
Shares in French dairy group Danone climbed 1.8% after it reported an 8.5% increase in first quarter sales, citing growth in all its regions and strong volumes.
In London, the FTSE 100 shed 0.55% as shares in consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser tumbled 7.2% following the shock announcement chief executive Bart Becht would step down before the year's end.
Shares in miners were broadly lower amid concerns China would tighten monetary policy after media outlets in Hong Kong said China's annual rate of inflation in March was likely to be 5.3%-5.4%, a 32-month high.
The world’s largest mining group BHP Billiton saw shares drop 1.7%, rival Rio Tinto slumped 1.3%, while copper producer Kazakhmys saw shares fall 1.2%.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was downbeat ahead of an earnings report from search-engine giant Google.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a drop of 0.15%, S&P 500 futures indicated a loss of 0.25%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures shed 0.2%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish government data on initial jobless claims and producer price inflation.